Understanding the Politics of Puerto Rico - Politics are everything in Puerto Rico. First off, even in the last election 70% of the voting-age population cast a vote, which is significantly higher than the statistics for the U.S. Politics are constantly discussed on the streets, on the radio, in the newspaper, everywhere. It can be a little overwhelming if you’re not really interested. The only comparison I can think of is how Americans talk about football during football season. It’s really, really big.

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Confusing Latin American Geographies - So, this isn't so relevant, I think, but it is kind of humorous. Watching some Italian singing contest show (we get Rai here... I know, I know, it's no good but it's the only thing we have in Italian and, like a surprising number of Puerto Ricans, my friend studies Italian, so we have it on frequently), they have on some Argentine... I think footballer player?

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Tourist Assaulted in Puerto Rico by Rogue Wall - On a pretty normal day, a day not unlike today, I expressed midway through a movie-film that it was time for me to take my leave and empty my teeniest, tiniest bladder against the best chronological conveniences of those around me. Mind you, we've had all kinds of problems with movie theaters in Puerto Rico, but none compared in my mind to the assault I suffered unto the face upon merely not paying attention to where I was walking.

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The Best Beaches of Puerto Rico - Being an island, there are, of course, lots of beaches in Puerto Rico. Quality varies, but the geographical location is the greatest determining factor. North and east-side beaches touch the Atlantic. Most of these beaches are decent, but in general are nothing particularly special.

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Spiderman Collectible Trumps Other Tourist Glory - If there's one thing I love more than anything, it's a "thing". Can't tell you what it is, but it's probably something, and something I really, really love. What I can tell you is what I love more than that, and it's another thing. Not just "another thing" but the other thing, which is the joy of a random toy, regardless of where it is. This article is in edification of that random, second thing.

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Speaking like a Boricua - This post is one of the most important ones, whether you're looking to work, live or just visit Puerto Rico. You have to know how to speak like a Boricua. Well, you don't have to, but it can really help.

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A Super Short History of Puerto Rico, Part-1 - All right, this is going to be Puerto Rican history in a nutshell. Before Christopher Colombus arrived in Puerto Rico in 1493, the island, like much of the Caribbean, was populated by Taíno Indians. The Taínos became slaves for the Spaniards and were practically exterminated... there are a few different opinions to whether the Taíno is "extinct", I wrote a paper on this in Spanish so I'll be sure to upload that eventually. Anyways, in response to a lack of workers the slave trade was born. Other than this, Spain more or less ignored the island. It was attacked by the English, Dutch, and French for years and it was a popular place for pirates, notably Puerto Rico's own Cofresí.

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A Super Short History of Puerto Rico, Part-2 - So, the Spanish-American War ends after the U.S. blockades Puerto Rico for long enough that the people were very welcoming to the American troops. It doesn't help that they were promised the liberty that the Spaniards didn't give to them. Of course, as you might have noticed, that's not really what they got.

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